Most dedicated "off season" trainers?

Holyfield. Appeared very fit in every single appearance anywhere post career. And although he was totally shot in his recent fight (if you can call it that), he WAS in excellent shape. He seems like he's just dedicated to fitness regardless.

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is beyond dispute.

A good spear fighter will usually beat a good sword fighter without armor, but there are ways of dealing with them.

If you fight somebody with a halberd, the first thing that goes through your mind is "what the f*** am I doing here?", but there are ways of dealing with them.

 

Your detailed post about the best sword has, alas, made an obvious question occur to me.

As I'm sure you know, the more HEMA-minded among the interwar Japanese officer corps before World War 2 decided to adopt antiquarian katanas to replace their previous European-style officer swords. And, since the lower level Japanese officers were collectively nuts back then, and wanted to play samurai, officers actually tried to use katanas in melee combat rather than as prestige sidearms.

My question:

If the Europeans or Americans had contained similarly romantic / eccentric junior officers chomping at the bit to impersonate knights, what would have been the most suitable European sword to use as an actual combat weapon for the relatively rare melee combat in WW2? (i.e., for use against people who might have bayonets, Russian multi-use entrenching tools, pistols, Dutch klewangs, submachine guns, rifles, knives, those machete-looking swords that the Chinese "big sword" units carried, etc.)

 

There was a British Colonel in World War II, called Mad Jack Churchill, who used to fight with a broadsword!

No prizes for guessing why he picked up the moniker mad.

To answer your question, the obvious choice would be the medieval longsword.

The debate about what was the most badass sword of all time, among Hema enthusiasts, usually comes down to katana or medieval longsword.

As somebody who has taken hits from blunted versions of both these weapons, I can tell you that it doesn't feel like being hit with any other kind of sword.

It is like the difference between being punched, and hit with a brick.

I have used sharpened versions of these swords to cut up reed mats, and the results are scary!

 

Don't forget the longbow and bagpipes.

 

Can’t vouch for what he did but Floyd Patterson was another boxer who never looked out of shape.

His physical appearance at age 37 for the second Ali fight in 1972 was very impressive with much of his hand speed still retained. . For mine, he actually shook Ali on a few occasions with lightning fast combos during that fight. A great P4P puncher and enough steam in absolute terms to keep his bigger HW opp. more than honest.

 

Mayweather. Although he seems to love fast food (McDonalds), he seemed to always be in shape.

 

His picture as an old man with an equally old Ingo is eye opening to just how much care Patterson took of his body.

 

Carl Froch keeps in very good shape. He would do triathlons in between fights and still works out now I believe.

 

As two handed sword go do you prefer longsword ahead of the bigger zwei hander and claymore, and katana ahead of no-dachi and nagamaki? And if so, is it because they are easier to wield?

 

The first Ali-Chuvalo fight took place on 17 days notice and still both guys showed great shape over 15 rds. Chuvalo looked like a guy that always was in shape and so was Ali pretty much during the 60's (the exception being after the first Liston fight when he took a break to travel around and blew up to 231 lbs).

 

I typically use a two handed longsword, of the kind used during the Wars of the Roses.

My trainer sometimes uses a zweihander, but he is about 6' 10''.